Capel Moriah

Capel Moriah

A chapel built in 1898, constructed of rock-faced coursed squared brown stone with flush sandstone ashlar dressings, except for the triple doorway which is finished in tooled sandstone. The roof is slate with a cemented verge, altered from the original, with tiny brackets to the eaves on the sides.

The broad front elevation features three first-floor arched windows set within a large arched recess. The recess is framed by flush stone voussoirs and quoins, with a broad eyebrow plaque above. The windows have piers framing, moulded caps, raised stilted heads and keystones. On the first floor to the left and right are slightly lower and wider arched windows with flush bands connecting back to the centre recess at the level of the pier capitals, flush arched heads and keystones. In each gable are small arched lights, and in the apex a similar louvred opening, all with flush dressings and keystones.

The ground floor has a slightly raised triple-gabled centre feature in tooled stone with moulded coping and deep shoulders each side, framing three arched doors. The centre gable and centre door are broader and slightly taller. The doors have ashlar flush surrounds with keystones, and there are bands at impost level and above the plinths. The doors are six-panel with double doors to the centre, fitted with fanlights having marginal glazing bars. Foundation stones dated 12 September 1898 are visible on the piers between the doors. Plain cambered-headed windows appear on each side in flush stone surrounds with keystones. All windows have been refitted with late 20th-century plastic glazing.

The sides are rendered over a low stone plinth, arranged as two storeys in five bays. Arched windows appear on the upper storey and square-headed windows on the lower, all with marginal glazing bars and stucco hoods. Upper windows have arched hoods on corbels.

The interior has plastered walls with a moulded cornice and plaster cove to the boarded ceiling, divided into three large panels each diagonally ribbed with a centre metal round ventilator, surrounded by two borders. The inner border is also ribbed with six square ventilation panels, and the outer one is diagonally boarded.

A three-sided timber gallery is supported on seven fluted cast-iron columns with ornate scroll capitals, manufactured by G Kyte and Co., Cardiff. The gallery has canted angles and long horizontal panels between upper and lower moulded cornices, with a moulding over the columns which are set well back. The panels are separated by short piers and have chamfered edges, vertical boarding and stencil corner decoration.

Pitch pine pews with boarded backs are arranged in three main blocks, with some inward-facing pews on each side of the pulpit. Great seat enclosures in front of and to each side of the pulpit platform are panelled beneath a low balustrade with moulded rail, curved at the angles. Newels are fitted with ball finials.

A large and ornate pulpit platform has steps ascending from each side, fitted with turned balusters and ornate newels with tapering finials. The platform has a short section on each side of a projecting broad pulpit with canted angles. The pulpit itself has five sides of varying sizes, with the broadest facing front, panelled in vertical and horizontal panels framed by panelled pilasters. The sections each side have a pierced panel with paired arches and turned balusters, with a similar half-size panel in the return flanking the stairs. A moulded top rail, deep cornice and frieze are below, set above a set-back panelled base.

A broad panelled back to the platform stands beneath a wide plaster feature with broad fluted pilasters carrying a basket arch with a roundel under an entablature with cornice broken forward from the main chapel cornice. The wall framed by the arch and pilasters is quartered into four panels to form a cross pattern.

At the opposite end is a lobby with a five-light leaded window with top-lights and doors on each side into the chapel. Stairs lead up to the gallery which contains similar pews to those in the main chapel.